Press Review

“Aravot” accuses the Armenian authorities of displaying an “overtly contemptuous attitude” to the Council of Europe recommendations on ending their confrontation with the opposition. The paper says the authorities did not formally allow Tuesday’s opposition rally and failed to restore freedom of movement inside the country, release all political prisoners and end their recourse to the notorious administrative detentions. It reports that police again detained opposition supporters on Tuesday and continues to keep in custody some of those persons who were arrested on the night of April 12.

“Haykakan Zhamanak” finds that the number of participants of Tuesday’s rally in Yerevan was “unexpectedly large.” “The resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has given a new impetus to the opposition movement,” the paper says. The PACE resolution was the main theme of the opposition leaders’ speeches.

But “Hayastani Hanrapetutyun” says that attendance and “enthusiasm” at the opposition protests continue to dwindle. The government-funded paper claims that the Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party can no longer afford “huge expenses” needed for maintaining the wave of protests. It says many of the protesters, especially those who hold flags and wave opposition slogans, get paid by the organizers.

“Azg” says the political situation in the country remains tense and uncertain after a month of protests. “The government is in a wait-and-see state but even it does not seem to know what it is going to do,” the paper says. “The opposition leaders are in the same euphoric mood, but the uncertainty of what will happen has permeated them as well.”

Galust Sahakian, a leader of the governing Republican Party, sees no imminent change in the opposition stance against the government. Interviewed by “Hayots Ashkhar,” he suggests that the continuing campaign of street protests is “becoming boring for the public.” “This is a tactics which will lead nowhere sooner or later,” he says.

Levon Mkrtchian, the leader of the parliament faction of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that he is convinced that there will be no pre-term presidential and parliamentary elections in Armenia. The country’s main political forces, he says, should therefore get ready for the next, regular polls.